


Somewhere In Between

by Anica



Series: Hanni-verse [30]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Chapter 1: First Haircut, Chapter 2: Plastic Suit, Chapter 3: Count Lecter, Chapter 4: Glasses, Chapter 5: Secret Stash, Chapter 6: Marry Papa, Chapter 7: Tutu, Chapter 8: Closet Monsters, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Hanni/Teen Hanni, M/M, Oral Sex, Post Mpreg, Will Knows, minor description of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-24
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-01-26 09:11:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1682903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anica/pseuds/Anica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life happens somewhere in between.</p>
<p>A place to put the smaller prompts I get. Should be mostly fluff. We deserve it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hanni's first haircutt

**Author's Note:**

> Major thanks to TayoAnn who didn't just edit, but helped make the chapter make sense. 
> 
> I'm like four episodes behind, and going by the summaries of most of all the stories (good thing I love spoilers) that were posted in the last twelve hours, I'm not going to be happy about it. 
> 
> Maybe some fluff will help.
> 
> Prompt from NS100: Hanni gets something stuck in his hair (like gum) and the only way to fix it is to cut all of his curls off. He is traumatized by the idea and refuses to let anyone near his head. When Will offers to get his hair cut short too, so that they'd still look alike, big Hannibal is NOT HAPPY!

“You have the prettiest little girl,” a woman, about a decade younger than Will Graham said, as she sat her son down into the sand box next to Hanni. 

“Boy,” Will corrected her with a smile and a soft chuckle, not wanting her to feel like he was offended. Hanni Lecter was almost two and still hadn’t had his first hair cut. He had mentioned it to his partner, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a few times, but the suggestion was always met with a frown. Now the curls fell around his shoulders, outlining the round, pink cheeks and the wide, dark eyes. The blue overalls were not enough to distinguish him as a boy. “But yeah, he’s definitely a pretty little thing.” 

“Sorry,” she couldn’t help but help blush as she bit her lip. “My husband’s side doesn’t cut their boys’ hair ‘til their third birthdays.” 

“It’s not for religious reasons,” Will told her and looked back down at the boy, chuckling as he watched the little boy pick up his little red shovel and start to fill the pail. He glanced back at her and smiled, as he drugged. “His father won’t hear it. He has a fascination with curls.” 

“I can’t blame him,” she said and Will could hear a smile in her voice. 

“Daddy!” Hanni gave him a wide grin before dumping the bucket full of sand on to his lap. He giggled and kicked his legs. 

“Careful baby,” Will reached down and stood the boy up, brushing the sand off of him with quick sweeps of his hand. “You’ll get it in your pants and that will not feel good.” 

“I like sand, Daddy,” Hanni said, and tried to squirm out of the way of his father’s hand. “No, Daddy!” 

“It’s ok, sweet boy, we’re all clean now,” Will smiled at the boy. 

“I like sand,” Hanni told him again and bent forward to pick up a fistfull to show him. 

“Yeah, I know.” Will laughed, but a moment later was jerking away, shaking his head in an attempt to rid his hair of the sand the little boy had dumped into it. “No, Hanni! That wasn’t very nice.” 

The little boy giggled behind sand covered fingers and Will had a hard time staying annoyed as tried to brush the last of the sand out of his curls. 

“Not funny, little man,” Will told him. “It was not a nice thing to do to daddy. It’s not a nice thing to do to anyone. What are you supposed to say when you do something that isn’t nice?”

“Sorry,” the little boy offered with a large grin, still giggling as he held up his arms. 

Will shook his head, knowing it would take sometime before the boy made a connection between saying sorry and actually _being_ sorry, but in the mean time he couldn’t refuse the offered hug or the smile that spread across his face as the boy patiently waited to be picked up and forgiven. 

Hanni arm’s automatically tightened around Will’s neck and the father rubbed his back for a few moments before pulling him back so he could look at the tyke. 

“Now, what are you sorry for?” 

Hanni shrugged, the smile slipping from his face at the serious look on his daddy’s face. 

“How about for throwing sand in Daddy’s hair?” Will prompted. 

“Yeah,” Hanni nodded, eagerly. “Sorry.” 

“And you won’t do it again?”

Hanni shook his head hard, looking more serious than before. 

“And are you Daddy’s good boy?” Will asked just to see the smile return to his son’s face as he nodded. He loved being Daddy’s good boy. “Are you going to be a good boy for Daddy?” Will asked again, laughing as he tickled the boy in his arms. “Are you going to play nice?” 

“Daddy!” Hanni squealed, and squirmed, but laughed as the hand was pulled away only to return a moment later to tickle a different spot.

“All right, I think you’ve had enough,” Will laughed as he bounced the boy. “Who’s Daddy’s good boy?” 

“Hanni!” The boy told him proudly, pointing to his chest.

“That’s right!” Will sat the boy down, who immediately started to fill his bucket with sand once more. “Play a bit more, and then we’ll take a nap.” 

“No nap,” Hanni told him, without looking up from the task at hand.

Will shook his head in amusement and went to sit down. This time when Hanni tried to bury his feet, Will didn’t rush over to clean him up. He knew the boy would just end up doing it again the first chance he got. It really was getting closer to nap time, and a quick bath wouldn’t hurt. Might as well let the kid get properly messy first. 

His phone went off, and he looked down to read the text sent to him from Casey, Hanni’s babysitter. By the time he had finished replying, a whole of about ten seconds it took to confirm the time for drop off for the following day, Hanni was wailing, a hand in his hair as his face turned red. 

Will rushed over, afraid that Hanni had been hit, and started checking for damage but what he found instead were little fingers covered in pink gum as the boy tried to pull it out of his curls. 

“Oh shit,” a young man said, rushing over to Will. “I’m so sorry. My daughter was just playing with him. I don’t know why she would do that. Lana, why would you do that? What do you have say?” 

Will glanced up at a little girl, probably around four, trying to hide behind her father. She looked guiltily up at Will and then quickly looked away. 

“I think ice is suppose to help,” the man said, grimacing at the damage his kid had done.

“No,” Will shook his head, trying to free his hand from the mess without pulling on the hair. “Guess it’s time for that first haircut.” 

“I’m really sorry,” the man repeated. “She’s never done anything like this before-”

“-It’s fine,” Will shook his head, annoyed at what happened but was able to see that the man really was sincere in his apology. “They’re kids. I used to have seven dogs and it’s harder to keep track of this little guy than a whole pack.” 

“Tell me about it, brother,” the man said with an amused snort. “Thanks for being so understanding. Most of the mothers here would have killed me.” 

Will smiled, as he stood and lifted the crying boy into his arms, rubbing his back in an attempt to calm him. He almost told the man that it wasn’t the mothers that he had to worry about. It was going to be one very annoyed papa that he would have to stay clear of for the next decade or so. 

“Daddy is going to make it all better, baby,” Will whispered to Hanni as he walked to his car, hand still rubbing soothing circles on his son’s back. “There’s no reason to cry. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” 

“Want papa,” Hanni cried against his shoulder, body still shaking from the sobs. 

“I know. Papa will be home soon,” Will said, even if it was barely past noon. 

The boy calmed down by the time they got to the barbershop. He looked around from his daddy’s arms at all the new, shiny things that he had never seen before. The shop was bright, with lots of mirrors and a friendly looking man in a white shirt. 

“My son had a bit of an accident in the park,” Will explained as he pointed out the gum to the barber. “Think you can help us out?” 

“Wow, he got it in there real good, didn’t you little one?” The barber chuckled. “We’re going to have cut it pretty short.” 

“Not ideal,” Will sighed. “But I guess we don’t have a choice. Ready for your first hair cut, little man?” 

Hanni sniffled and looked up, obviously confused and nervous even though Daddy was right next to him. He gave a shy smile as the barber covered him up and seemed to have calmed down until the very moment the razor was turned on. He gave a terrified shriek, tried to get off the chair and ended up tangled in the apron he had been given.

Will grabbed him before he could fall off the chair and held him up. Hanni clung to him, crying loudly, face buried in the plaid. 

“Hanni, baby, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It won’t hurt.” 

“No,” Hanni shook his head without looking up.”Go home.” 

“We can’t go home with gum in your hair, silly boy.” Will shot the barber an embarrassed look. “Be a good boy for Daddy, alright?” 

Hanni shook his head again, wiping his face against his father’s shirt and continued to cry. If Will hadn’t been upset by the events, he would have taken the time to find a place that knew how to handle distraught children getting their first hair cut. A place that would have never resorted to doing what the barber did. 

“Want to see Daddy get a haircut?” The man asked coming closer. 

Hanni peeked out of him, quieting down just a bit and then glanced up at his father. 

“What do you think? Should Daddy get a haircut too?” Will asked, and gave the boy a wide smile to calm his nerves. Hanni seemed to think it over before nodding his head. 

Will sat in the barber’s chair and sat Hanni in the free chair next to him. 

“Owwie?” Hanni asked, as he watched the barber come over with the electric razor. 

“No, baby, it won’t hurt at all,” Will shook his head and sat up straight. “Just watch Daddy.” 

It had been those last words that reminded Will to keep smiling and not to let the horror show on his face as the barber passed the razor over his head and left almost nothing behind. 

***

Hannibal was used to being greeted at the door by a happy toddler and a smiling lover, had come to look forward to those moments. On the days he wasn’t, it was usually because the toddler had managed to drive the younger man partially insane, resulting in an early bedtime for the boy and a much deserved nap for Daddy. 

He found Will getting juice from the fridge and if it wasn’t for the wide blue eyes, he might not have recognized him. 

Will stood clean shaven and hair cut just long enough that no one would mistaken him for a military man. 

“Oh, hi,” Will bit his lip and glanced at his watch. “I guess... I didn’t realize … Can you stop looking at me like that? We had a bit of an accident at the park.” 

“What happened?” Hannibal asked, face morphing from a sort of disappointed astonishment to concern. “Is Hanni alright?” 

“Yeah, no, he’s fine.” Will bit his bottom lip. “A little girl got gum in his hair.” 

Hannibal had turned and was already making his way to his son’s room before Will could get the whole sentence out. His son’s curls were a thing of beauty and he almost whimpered in the doorway when he saw the little boy. His son’s hair matched the father’s short style, and the older man couldn’t help feel like something had been taken from him.

“Papa!” Hanni’s smile widened when he saw his father. He dropped his stuffed monkey and ran to older man. 

Hannibal couldn’t help return the smile, even if it was a bit of a sad one. 

“Look, Papa!” Hanni tried to pull on the short strands but there wasn’t enough to get a grip. 

“I see, sweet boy,” Hannibal said, hand passing over the short, soft hair. He cupped the back of his son’s head and pulled him close for a kiss, holding him there while he mourned the loss. 

“It’ll grow back,” Will told him, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

Hannibal frowned, kissed the boy’s head again before he sat him back on the floor. 

“Was there gum in your hair as well?” Hannibal asked, eyes scanning the youthful face.

“No,” Will shook his head and handed the juice over to his son. “He was scared so I volunteered to go first.” Will winced and shrugged. “I didn’t realize how short it would be.” 

“The barber didn’t ask?” Hannibal frowned, hand running over the cropped hair. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling but light years away from the silky curls. 

“Don’t start,” Will snorted, and smiled. He turned his head in to the palm and kissed the doctor’s hand. “The beard looked sort of silly with the short hair, so I thought it would be easier just to shave it all off.” 

“The neighbors will think I’m having an affair with a teenager.” 

“Stop,” Will laughed, but was only pulled closer and kissed when he tried to pull away. “I don’t look _that_ young, do I?” 

“It is a good thing the semester started, or no student would believe you are the instructor.” 

“You’re enjoying this a little, aren’t you?” Will pouted. 

“I’m not happy about it,” Hannibal admitted and glanced down at the little boy, who sat peacefully on the floor and drank his juice. “I would have prefered to be the one to cut it.”

“I didn’t think you would appreciate the artificial strawberry smell.” Will grinned and picked the boy up. “We have a surprise for you.” 

“Please don’t,” Hannibal frowned, a hand over his chest. “I don’t think I can handle any more surprises for the day.” 

“Don’t make me change my mind and keep it,” Will chuckled and handed over an envelope to Hanni. “Give Papa his present, baby.” 

“Present for Papa!” Hanni happily informed the older man as he stuck his hand out and waved it around. Hannibal took it and gave him a kiss in return. 

Hannibal opened the envelope and the smile that spread across his face was genuine, a touch sad, but completely open and and unguarded. Inside was a strand of his son’s hair, braided at the top and allowed to curl at the end. The sweet smell of milk that still clung to his son came off of it and Hannibal couldn’t resist bringing it closer to his face. He ran his finger along the hair once before he put it away and turned to Will. 

“Thank you,” he whispered and pulled the younger man close, intentionally squeezing the boy between them and causing him to giggle. “And thank you for giving me a younger lover. I’ll miss my curls but I might find a way to enjoy you as you are.” 

“Might?” Will snorted and gave him an arrogant look. “Must I remind you that I spend a lot of my time in front a room full of sexually charged, young people?” 

“Must I remind you that only a naughty boy would try to make his papa jealous?” Hannibal told him. 

“Hanni, go play,” Will said. He sat the boy down, and gave the older man a shy smile, cheeks turning slightly pink. There was little to be shy about after being together for more than three years, but the younger man knew what those smiles did to his lover. 

“You’re going to have be patient,” Hannibal chuckled at the playfully, though none the less aggressive, look he received as he backed out of the room. Both men knew that he was not serious. Neither of them would leave the boy alone in a room for longer than it took to grab a snack from the kitchen. Still, it was fun to play along. “There is still dinner to attend to.”

“You know what they say about youth and patience,” Will said, as he shook his head as he advanced on the older man, until there was no where left to go. 

“Daddy! Play!” 

Will let himself be pulled back into the bedroom as both men started a mental countdown to bedtime. Once those little dark eyes closed, he was sure he could find a game that the older man would enjoy.


	2. The Plastic Suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Sandy, who wrote: I Always wonder what would happen if Hanni found his father's plastic suit he uses when he kills people but don't want to get messy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, all made possible by TayoAnn who is just simply wonderful.

Hanni Lecter Jr. looked down the hallway towards the stairs and then towards his parents’ room. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he quietly made his way towards the master bedroom, pausing only to hush the dogs. Darcy and Winston followed, tails wagging and breathing loudly as if the warning did not apply to them.

Hanni stood outside their room for a moment. Daddy was downstairs with Agent Crawford and Papa was still at work. He knew he wasn’t supposed to enter their bedroom without either parent there or unless he was told to fetch something for one of them … but Daddy said to go play upstairs and their room was upstairs.

The little boy had wanted to play with his father and the agent, but whatever happened to be in the manila folders the large man had been carrying was not meant for his eyes. It had been deemed ‘grown up stuff’, and he was made to leave the room. Always curious, Hanni had tried to listening at the door and had been caught.

It had been pretty embarrassing being scolded in front of Agent Crawford, and Hanni was grateful for once that the agent barely acknowledge his presence. That had been when Will told Hanni to play upstairs, away from the manila folder and any temptation he might have to play spy again.

Now, as he entered his parents’ bedroom, without them present, Hanni felt like an explorer. He had discovered a new, wonderful place where everything was shiny and forbidden. He had to coax the dogs in when he noticed that they stopped in the doorway, well aware that the area was off limits to them much like the kitchen. He couldn’t get them on the bed though, Winston because he knew better, and Darcy because the puppy was still just a bit too short for the high jump.

Jumping on the bed held his interest for a few minutes, but he quickly got bored and made his way to his parent’s closet. It belonged to both of his fathers, but anyone who took a look inside would see Papa wasn’t sharing his space nicely. There was a small bench in the walk-in closet, and Hanni found it helpful when he realized everything was out of reach. He started with his papa’s ties, forever enthralled by the wide selection of patterns and colors.

A blue tie that remind Hanni of his daddy’s eyes went around his neck. He picked out a checkered purple tie for Winston and a pink paisley one for Darcy, because she was a girl, and every girl he knew seemed to love the color pink, at least as far as he could tell. He stuck to purple, brown, and all the shades of blue he could get his hands on. He often found his box of crayons lacking when it came to drawing his papa. It was one of the reasons he loved drawing the man wearing in his favorite red sweater. 

Next came the shirts. His papa had so many different colors that Hanni had a hard time choosing which one he liked best. Finally he went with a light blue shirt for himself and a deep burgundy for Darcy. Winston got one of his daddy’s sweaters because the older dog had more in common with the agent than the doctor. The dogs had been used to playing pretend with Hanni’s collection of capes and costumes, and stayed still as the boy dressed them up, though they drew the line at wearing socks.

Hanni slipped into a pair of Papa’s wing tip oxfords and made his way around the closet, checking himself out in the mirror and adjusting his tie like he had seen his father do.

“You can be daddy,” Hanni said pointing at Winston. “Darcy, you can be Hanni, even if you are wearing pink. Papa said boys can wear pink too and if someone doesn’t like it than they can keep their opinions to themselves.”

Darcy dropped to the ground, ready to roll around and play with her favorite boy.

“I’m a doctor,” Hanni kneeled in front of the German Shepherd puppy. “Do you have a tummy ache? I can make it better.”

Darcy needed very little convincing to roll over and give up her belly. She seemed to smile up at him, tongue hang out over the side of her mouth, and Hanni couldn’t resist teasing her a little with the sleeve from his papa’s shirt that hung more than over his wrist. He laughed as the puppy snapped her teeth at it, and the little boy pulled it back quickly before she could bite it. He did it a few more times until Darcy managed to grab onto it. Hanni panicked and yanked his hand back, gasping in sudden fear when he heard the fabric rip. Darcy paid it no mind as she quickly rolled over and started to pull.

“Oh, no! Stop! You ripped Papa’s shirt!” Hanni cried out, and at the sound of his distress the dog let go. He quickly took it off, inspecting the damage before looking around the room. “We’re in so much trouble.”

Darcy tried jumping up to give him a kiss but was pushed away by the clearly distraught boy, causing her to whine loudly.

“I’m sorry, Darcy,” Hanni pouted and scratched behind the dog’s ear. “We’re in a lot of trouble. It’s mostly your fault.”

Hanni looked around the room and thought that perhaps Papa would not notice just one shirt missing. Hiding it seemed like a very smart idea. He looked around the closet trying to find a place Papa wouldn’t look. He opened a few drawers, desperate to find a place for the torn shirt, and in his haste pulled too hard, throwing himself off balance. He grabbed onto the drawer in order to steady himself, but the added weight of the boy caused it to come free of the dresser, crashing not too far from where the boy landed safely on his butt.

Somewhere between the scare of falling and the new panic at the mess he had made, he spotted piece of plastic that looked out of place with all the white undershirts that had been kept there. He unfolded it carefully and realized it was a plastic suit. The little boy wasted no time getting the suit on.

_Squeak Squeak_

The boy giggled as he ran around the room. He had rolled up the pant legs as well as the sleeves, which gave him the freedom to move around. The silly sound he made seemed like an unending source of entertainment for the child, making him forget about the havoc he had been wreaking on his parents’ closet and the trouble he could be facing. The dogs followed closely behind, happy to chase the little boy under any circumstances, trying to get a good sniff of the new, foreign object.

“What is going on here?” Will asked, caught somewhere between horror and amusement at the sight of the little boy playing in Hannibal’s plastic suit. For the moment the mess and the dressed dogs took a backseat as he waited for an explanation.

Hanni froze, and the dogs did too. All three looked up guiltily up at Will and not one of them made a sound.

“Well?” Will prompted his son, as he crossed his arms. “I asked you a question.”

“I found Papa’s rain suit in his dresser and that’s not where it’s supposed to be,” Hanni told him, softly, looking at the man through his lashes as he spoke, doing his best to look innocent before quickly looking down.

“Is that why you put it on?”

“Just playing,” Hanni said giving a little shrug as he pouted.

“Oh? And did anyone say you’re allowed to play with Papa’s things?” Will asked as he came closer. “In fact did he say it was all right to play in here at all?”

“Um…” Hanni fidgeted under the stern look, and tried to come up with something to say as he looked around the room and noticed the mess. “Um… he….”

“I’m going to save us some trouble and call him,” Will said, unable to resist sharing the image before him with his husband.

“No! Don’t call Papa!” Hanni’s voice held a note of panic, and tears instantly materialized and spilled out as he watched his father take out his phone. He bounced in place, scowling and fussing loudly.

Will hushed him as he brought up the option to FaceTime the older man. If his timing was right, he would get the doctor between patients.

“Either you’ve missed me terribly or there is something I need to see,” Hannibal said once he answered, his familiar features causing Will to smile.

“Oh, as much as the former is true, it’s the latter,” Will said, and switched the camera angle to let Hannibal get a full view of the room as well as the guilty looking little boy who shifted, suddenly finding the plastic very uncomfortable.

“Is that-,” He stopped, and though there was not as much shock on the older man’s face as there had been on Will’s, there was a noticeable change. Concern and displeasure were the obvious two, with hints of annoyance and the acceptance that most parents feel when they first come face to face with their children’s handiwork. “What happened?”

“Hanni was about to tell me why he’s wearing Papa’s special rain suit,” Will said and switched the camera angle once more, before handing the phone over to the boy so he could explain it to the both of them.

“I’m sorry,” Hanni sniffled, as he looked at the image of a very disappointed Papa.

“That does not explain what happened,” Hannibal told him, his voice gentle but with a hard note in it.

“We were playing, and I was Papa and Darcy was Hanni and Winston was Daddy,” Hanni explained.

“Were you a good papa?” Hannibal couldn’t help asking, his features softening slightly.

“Ah-ha,” Hanni nodded. “I gave belly rubs.”

“Then what happened?” Will prompted, fighting an amused snort that threatened to escape.

“Darcy bit your shirt and I was going to put it in the drawer….” Hanni wiped at his face as he considered telling his fathers that he had been trying to hide it. “and the drawer fell. That’s when I found the rain suit and it made a funny sound when I put on. It’s a squeaky sound. Like a-”

“-wait,” his daddy cut him off. “Were you going to hide the ripped shirt from us?” 

“Well,” Hanni bit his lip, glanced at the puppy, and then back up at Will. “I didn’t want to get Darcy in trouble. She’s the one that bit it, but I don’t think she meant to rip it.” 

“She had no business being there. Who allowed her into the bedroom?” Hannibal asked, getting the boy to look back down at the screen. There was a moment of hesitation so the doctor went on. “Hanni, are you supposed to be in the bedroom?”

“No,” Hanni said softly.

“Then what were you doing in the closet?”

“Daddy said to go play upstairs and …” Hanni shrugged. “I just…”

“You know perfectly well that is not what Daddy meant,” Hannibal said, voice much sterner than before. He could be understanding when it came to mischievous little boys looking to play dress up but would not tolerate him shifting the blame on anyone else. “This was neither Darcy’s doing or your father’s and I will not be holding them accountable for the mess.” 

“I’m sorry,” Hanni said softly, fresh tears rolled down his cheeks, as he looked up at his daddy.

“I know, why don’t you take off that rain suit and go wait for me downstairs in the family room,” Will said as he took the phone from him.

“Am I in trouble?” Hanni asked, as he sat on the floor and pulled the suit off.

“Yes, you are,” Will told him and pointed to the door. “Go, I’ll be down in a minute to talk with you.”

“Am _I_ in trouble?” Hannibal asked, once he could no longer hear his son’s footsteps.

“Oh, you’re getting the same treatment he is,” Will said, doing his best to look stern. “How many times have I told you to find a better place to put your suits?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Hannibal said, with a devilish quirk of his lip that made the younger man eager to bring him down a few pegs.

***

Hannibal pulled back and sat on his heels, as he looked up at his breathless lover.

"That," Hannibal said, licking his lower lip. "I believe has been five minutes."

"Oh?" Will said, head rolling back against the corner that had been propping him up. "Well, then you’d better get back to it."

"I thought I was due the same treatment as our son," Hannibal said, voice missing its usual confidence as he watched the younger man run a hand over his own length, eyes dark with lust. “In which case I should be allowed to rise.”

“It’s a minute per year,” Will reminded him, as his free hand found its way into the sandy strands and he tugged that smart mouth he loved so much closer. “You still have forty to go, old man. We need to make sure you learned your lesson.”

“Forty?” Hannibal tisked lightly as he moved closer still, laying a slow kiss over the hip. He sucked in the skin and bit it gently, enjoying the small gasp that escaped the younger man. “I have no intention of letting you last that long.”

“Think that’ll reduce your sentence?”

“You can have me on my knees for as long as you desire,” Hannibal told him, tilting his head back to look at Will through his lashes and bangs that fell into his line of sight. “But I can do so much more off them.”

Will groaned, relaxing further against the corner as the other man swallowed him once more. Hannibal could have it his way every time, the younger man swore; he could have whatever he wanted as long as his mouth kept up the glorious pressure and those hands pressed into his hips, making him feel owned, possessed and still in control. His hand relaxed its grip on the hair and turned into a gentle caress as he closed his eyes and even with them closed, all he could see was Hannibal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I do have like a dozen prompts to work through... but if you have any good tiny prompts, let me know!


	3. Count Lecter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Umbrellasocks who wrote: Hanni doesn't think much about Hannibal being a count until he's introduced to Sesame Street and other forms of media that depict counts as vampires. He then worries that his Papa is a vamp;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Beta-proof. Very sorry. 
> 
> Just short, silly and fluffy. 
> 
> Note: Will gets a playful butt smack (tap). I thought about adding that to the tag, but in this verse it should expected.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Hanni Lecter’s shouts were heard down the hallway long before he entered his father’s office.

Will raised a brow at the boy as he came running into the room.

“Daddy! Did you know Count Von Count is a vampire?”

Will opened and closed his mouth, confused for a second before remembering the silly moppet that liked to count.

“He is?”

Hanni nodded, and seemed a bit concerned.

“As long as you know how to count, I don’t see why it should be a problem who you learn it from.”

“Peter said vampires eat people,” Hanni said, coming around Will’s desk.

“Peter knows more about vampires than he should,” Will muttered, glancing down at his papers. He really needed to get them graded. “Don’t worry, he lives on Sesame Street. That’s nowhere near Baltimore.”

“But Papa is a Count,” Hanni said, actually managing to surprise his father. It wasn’t something they talked about often and the connection was impressive. 

“Yes, that’s true,” Will nodded thoughtfully. “You don’t think he’s a vampire, do you?”

Hanni shrugged.

“Stop being silly,” Will chuckled and tapped the boy’s nose. “Papa isn’t a vampire. Go finish watching your show. Daddy needs to finish his work.”

That seemed to ease the boy’s worries and he ran back to the family room.

***

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Will dropped his paper with a groan.

“Daddy! Count von Count has pointy teeth!” Hanni said, stopping only when he was close enough to lean against his father’s knees.

“All the better to eat you with?” Will asked, tickling the boy’s neck.

Hanni jumped back, something between a yelp and a squeal of laughter escaping him. “Daddy!”

“What?!” Will asked, matching the boy’s volume.

“Papa’s teeth are kind of pointy, aren’t they?”

Will hid a chuckle, “That true. It isn’t very nice, but It’s true. You think that makes Papa a vampire?”

“Well,” Hanni shrugged, biting his lower lip. “Does it? Is Papa a vampire?”

“Papa is not a vampire,” Will said with a playful growl as he leaned over the boy and snapped his teeth. “There's no such thing as vampires, but Daddy is going to bite you if you don’t let him work.”

Hanni giggled and ran out of the room, the sound of snapping teeth following him to the door.

***

“Daddy! Daddy!

Will’s hand paused over the paper, trying to remember the comment he was going to write before the screams interrupted him.

“Daddy!” Hanni ran up to his desk, bouncing at the edge of it “Daddy!”

Will dropped his pen. At this rate he would never finish his work. He considered himself a patient man but the little boy was pushing it.

“Hanni, was it?”

“The count has an accent and so does Papa!”

“Oh, for goodness-“ Will shook his head, deciding that it was Hannibal’s turn to be interrupted. “You know what little man? I think you might be on to something.”

“Really?” Hanni asked, taking a step back, looking worried.

“Papa does have pointy teeth, and he is a Count, and he does have an accent!”

Hanni nodded mournfully, biting his lip.

“But we need to know for sure,” Will tapped his lips thoughtfully. “Vampires like blood, don’t they?”

Hanni nodded again.

“Papa did make that blood sausage a few weeks ago…” Hanni gasped, “…but that can just be the name. Why don’t you go ask Papa how it’s made?”

“Yeah?” Hanni asked, a bit uncertain.

“We have to know!” Will nodded towards the door. “Go on, but don’t let him know why you’re asking.”

“How come?” Hanni frowned.

“Just in case he is a vampire.”

Will shook his head and laughed as Hanni ran out of the room. He wanted to finish up his work so he could go play with the boy. It seemed that there was more than enough TV in their house for one night.

He managed to read through two paragraphs before a loud shriek rang through the house. Not really a cry, nor a shout but a terror filled shriek. Will took off running, flying through the rooms until he reached the kitchen. The sight was almost heart breaking.

Hanni hid behind a chair, curled up in the corner of the room while Hannibal, on his knees, tried to coax the boy out.

“I-” Hannibal glanced up at Will, looking completely helpless. “I don’t know what I did.”

Will dropped to his knees beside him and the boy sprinted into his arms before he even had to say a word.

“He is a vampire,” Hanni cried into his shoulder. “He really is! There’s blood in the sausage! He’s going to eat us.”

“What is he talking about?” Hannibal asked, looking more worried than he should have been.

Will winced, looking guilty as he met his husband’s eyes.

“Hanni, Papa isn’t a vampire. Daddy was just kidding. Vampires are no more real than Sully and Mike.”

Hanni sniffled and pulled back, glancing at Hannibal and then at Will. “Papa isn’t a vampire?”

“Of course not.”

“But you said that he might be!” Hanni frowned, moving back, and looking betrayed.

“I’m sorry, little man. I was just kidding.”

“That’s not nice,” Hanni scolded him.

“It most definitely was not,” Hannibal said from behind him, raising off the floor and pulling Hanni up with him.

“Is Daddy going to be punished?”

Will frowned at the boy’s scowl. He hadn’t meant to upset either one of them. He caught Hannibal’s amused look and almost groaned.

“Do you think I ought to smack Daddy’s butt?” Hannibal asked, and Hanni gave a much too serious nod.

Before Will could open his mouth to complain, Hannibal was seated and he was over his lap. The tap he got wouldn’t have hurt even if didn’t have a protective layer of denim. Before another could fall Hanni held up his hands.

“No!” Hanni shook his head, and leaned over his father. “No, don’t smack Daddy.”

Will made a show of rubbing his behind when he was allowed up, giving the boy a playful wink which was met with a scowl. Apparently just because the boy had come to his rescue did not mean he was forgiven.

“Perhaps that was a bit harsh,” Hannibal said, looking up at his husband - still amused but there was genuine displeasure there as well- as if really was unsure about what to do with the younger man. “No dessert?”

“Do I get to eat his dessert?”

“No,” Hannibal shook his head and the boy’s scowl turned into a pout.

Will caught his husband’s eyes again and gave a nod towards the stairs, hoping to solve the problem for all three of them.

“I think we should send Daddy up to his room,” Hannibal said, appearing as stern as ever.

Hanni gave a serious nod and with a dramatic sigh, Will left. He grabbed his papers and jumped onto his bed. Stacking the pillows behind him, he went to work.

***

The door opened just a crack and Will had expected to see his son but instead found his husband peeking into the room.

“May I come in?”

Will laughed, “Since when do you need permission to enter?”

“I was unsure if you were upset with me,” Hannibal said, coming over to the bed and sitting down to face Will, one knee off the mattress.

“You’re not the one that told Hanni I might be a vampire,” Will said, frowning. “Why would I be upset with you?”

“I should not have struck you in front of him. I don’t want him to think there is an imbalance in our relationship.”

“Oh, that,” Will shook his head and smiled. “No, that was fine as long as I get to do the same to you when the occasion calls for it.”

“If you promise to be fair and gentle.”

“I make no such promises,” Will said, smile disappearing. “Is he still upset with me?”

“Perhaps a bit, but I believe he feels guilt over getting you into trouble,” Hannibal chuckled. “He wanted to know when your punishment would be lifted.”

“I was just trying to get my work done,” Will sighed, looking down at his papers. “I didn’t mean to hurt either one of you.”

“I figured as much when you sent yourself to our room,” Hannibal said, glancing at the papers. “How much longer are you going to be punished for?”

“About an hour?”

Hannibal took half of the papers as he stood, “I’ll be back in half an hour to see if you learned your lesson.”

“Don’t be too hard on them,” Will said, feeling in a more giving mood than usual.

“All things considered,” Hannibal paused in the doorway “he wasn’t far from the truth.”

“You’re not a monster,” Will said dismissively without bothering to look up, before pausing and leaning back to smile at his husband. “At least not in this house.”

***

Hanni was laying on his stomach, playing robots versus monsters when Will found him. He watched from the doorway for a bit, feeling guilty because the boy didn’t appear as happy as he usually did when he roared at the robot.

“Who’s winning?” Will asked, coming to kneel down.

“The robots,” Hanni said, setting the monster down so he could rest his chin on his arm.

“Can we talk?”

Hanni shrugged and Will sat down next to him, crossing his legs. “Come here.”

Hanni didn’t move, but did turn to face his father.

“Hanni, I’m sorry I made you think that Papa might be a vampire. I was just joking but it wasn’t very nice of me and I really am sorry,” Will told the boy, reaching out to brush a few curls back.

“It was very mean,” Hanni said, sitting up. “Papa isn’t a vampire.”

“No, he isn’t,” Will shook his head. “It really wasn’t fair to either one of you. Am I forgiven?”

Hanni frowned. He still felt hurt but when he did something bad and apologized, his fathers always forgave him.

The silence was longer than what Will anticipated it would be. Finally Hanni nodded, but still made no move towards the older man.

“Did Papa hurt your butt?” Hanni asked, feeling a bit guilty.

“No,” Will did his best not to laugh, though he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He made a grab for Hanni, who gasped in surprise but settled down quickly on his father’s crossed legs, relaxed against the arm Will put around him. “Because you saved me.”

Hanni shook his head. “Papa doesn’t smack as hard as you.”

“Oh?” Will laughed this time. Up to that point the boy had gotten a single smack on the behind from each of them and apparently now felt like an expert on the subject. “Papa must just like you more than he likes me.”

Hanni nodded seriously. “Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Even if Papa was a vampire, I don’t think we should be scared,” Hanni said softly as he laid his head on Will’s shoulder. “Because he’s still Papa and Papa would never hurt us.”

“No, not us,” Will said with as much certainty as he could offer. “Vampires are also made up, remember?”

Hanni nodded, slipping off his father’s lap and grabbing the Robot. “Want to play? You can be the monster.”

“But the monsters are losing,” Will said very seriously as he looked down at the green and yellow monster before smiling and giving a loud roar.   
Hanni giggled and made beeping sounds in retaliation as they started to battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once you see the similarities between the two, it can not be unseen.


	4. Glasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DreamingRainbow: Hanni getting his glasses for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt skipped the line and it still took me almost three months to get it all done. 
> 
> Not beta-proofed. Sorry. I did my best. Corrections are appreciated.

“Hannibal?” Will Graham called out his husband’s name in order to get his attention, even though they were in the same room, as he continued to look around the corner table that stood in their kitchen. “Have you seen my things?” 

“You’ll have to be a little more specific,” Hannibal told him, using his shoulder to nudge the refrigerator door closed. 

“My bag... my glasses,” Will said, looking around once more as if he simply missed it the first time around. “I left it here.” 

“You’re worse than our five year old,” and while he did sound annoyed, there was an undeniable smile that clearly reached his eyes. “Have you checked your office?” 

“I’m pretty sure I left them here,” Will said, rubbing the back of his neck, puzzled. “I’m not losing time, am I?” 

“No,” Hannibal shook his head, smile turning indulgent as he went to wash his hands. “I’ll help you look.” 

“So you can mock me when we find it by the front door?” Will shook his head. “No thanks.” 

“I would never mock you,” Hannibal said as he returned to his food preparations since his help was unwanted and probably unrequired. “I might scold you for being reckless with your things, but there would be no mocking.” 

Will paused in the doorway, waited for the doctor to look up, and once those maroon eyes met his, he stuck out his tongue before taking off. 

Hannibal smiled, amused and slightly upset that he wasn’t flipped off. If that would have happened he could have been justifiably upset - or at least pretended to be - and would have taken his revenge not long after their son was put to bed.

He focused once more on cleaning the two different cuts of meat in front of him, while in the back of his mind he wondered which tie he would have sacrificed to bound Will’s wrist. The younger man loved to struggle. He worked quickly despite the places his mind took him, cutting away parts he wouldn’t be able to use, and setting them aside to be made into dog food. Still, he was only half way through his preparations before Will rushed into the room and grabbed his wrist. 

“Come with me,” Will said, and tugged on his arm, giving the doctor only enough time to set his knife down and grab a towel before he was pulled out of the room. 

“What is it?” Hannibal asked as he tried to free his hand but found the younger man not ready to let go. Amused, he let himself be dragged along the hallway and up the stairs.

He started to question him again, but was quickly hushed as they came to a stop just outside of Hanni’s room. Will held a finger up to him and peaked over the side, signaling for the doctor to join him. Though he felt ridiculous, Hannibal leaned over and instantly found himself smiling, grateful to Will for sharing this with him.

Hanni stood in one of Will’s blazers, thick rimmed glasses balancing badly on his nose, as he spoke to a his stuffed animals and two dogs. 

“After, you have to put a big ‘J’ and a little ‘R’ and that’s because I have my Papa’s name,” Hanni said showing his LeapFrog pad to his makeshift class. “His has an ‘S’ and an ‘R’ because he’s bigger and once I’m big I’ll have it too!” 

Winston rose, tail wagging, but Hanni was right there to push him back down. 

“No,” Hanni shook his head. “No, it’s nap time and you have to stay right there and you have to listen to me because I’m the teacher just like my Daddy!” 

“Is that how Daddy sounds?” Will asked, interrupting the boy much too soon for Hannibal’s liking and causing the tyke to spin around, glasses slipping and hanging off his right ear. “Daddy teaches how to spell names and does nap time?” 

“Hi, Daddy!” Hanni grinned, straightening the glasses. 

“What are you doing, silly boy?” Will didn’t even bother looking annoyed as he swung his son up, and removed the glasses so he could slip them on. 

“No, I need them,” Hanni cried out as he reached out for the pair. “I need them to play Daddy.” 

“And maybe a beard?” Will tickled his chin, making him laugh. “Some whiskers right here?”

“No, they tickle,” Hanni squirmed in his arms. 

“Oh? Do they?” Will rubbed his chin gently against the boy’s soft cheek, igniting another fit of laughter. “Does that tickle?”

Hanni giggled even after his daddy pulled, trying to catch his breath. A moment later he was reaching for the glasses again. 

“Oh no,” Will shook his head. “I’m Daddy now.”

“You’re Daddy all the time,” Hanni frowned. “I want the glasses.” 

“Nope,” Will shook his head, smiling. “It’ll hurt your eyes if you wear them too much and then you’ll need glasses of your own.” He shook his head again, amused this time at the boy’s excitement, threw Hanni over his shoulder and started to look around the room. “Where’s Daddy’s stuff?” 

“In my classroom,” Hanni said, trying to point even though he was facing the wrong way. Will spun them around until he found it, causing the boy to laugh again. 

“Are you suppose to take Daddy’s stuff?” Will asked as he shifted the boy so could look at him over the rim of his glasses. He kept his eyes on his son as he grabbed his satchel, sliding it over his free shoulder. 

“No,” Hanni finally admitted after a moment of silence, shaking his head to make the answer clear. “Sorry.” 

“Good boy,” Will said, throwing his son back over his shoulder, giving him a playful swat and spun them around the room until he he started to feel dizzy. Hanni laughed as they both collapsed on the bed. Will smiled up as the boy that sat on his chest and begged to be spun around again. “That’s all I got kiddo, but maybe later Papa and I can join your class, Mr. Lecter.” 

“Really?” Hanni asked, a wide grin in place as he looked from his daddy to where Papa was smiling as he leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. Nothing beat actually playing with his husband and their son, but sometimes he liked to stand back and watch the two. Hanni’s pure joy and Will’s ability to shed the evil he let inside him and be what the boy needed him to be. 

“It would be a pleasure,” Hannibal said, winking at his son. 

A few moments later, in the hallway, Hannibal was pressed up against the wall as Will let the coarse hair on his chin run over the smooth, sensitive skin of his husband’s neck. It didn’t tickle and the sounds Hannibal made were definitely not giggles.

*Eight years later*

Hanni couldn’t get the scowl off his face as the optician checked his eyes. 

“Did you know there’s specs of red in your eyes?” The elderly woman said, leaning back to look at Will. “Never seen that before.” 

“It’s a family trait,” Will said, tussling the teens hair. 

“Dad,” Hanni groaned quietly as he pulled away. 

“Dads are supposed to be like that,” the optician chuckled. “Are you going to get a pair like his?” 

“God, no,” Hanni shook his head, eyes wide with unnecessary fear and premature embarrassment. 

Will shook his head as well, rolling his eyes while the woman chuckled again. The boy had been whining and complaining about getting glasses since the moment Hannibal suggested that they needed to get his eyes checked. He had been getting headaches and had started to squint when forced to sit at a normal distance from the TV. Neither of those things went unnoticed under Papa’s watchful eyes.

Hanni’s obsession with his dad’s glasses had faded over the last few years and now the only thing that would be worse and more upsetting to the boy would have been the thought of braces. Thankfully, along with the weak eyesight, it was his daddy’s smile he had inherited.

“Why can’t I just get surgery,” Hanni complained, once his eyes were checked and the prescription had been written. 

“You’re too young,” Will explained, rubbing the boy’s shoulders as they looked over their options. “We’ll get it done if you still want it once you’re old enough.” 

“Why don’t you get it done?” Hanni asked glancing up at the older man. “Are you hiding behind them?” 

“Am I?” Will raised a brow. The boy was barely a teen, and rarely had insightful moments. “What am I hiding from?” 

“I don’t know,” Hanni shrugged, looking uncertain . “It’s your disguise so people won’t know you’re a hero.” 

“I’m not a hero,” Will said softly, frowning down at the boy. 

“You catch bad guys,” Hanni said, eyes slipping towards his father’s hip where he knew the gun hung, before glancing up at him. “You save people. That kinda makes you a hero, Dad.” 

“I’m just your dad,” Will smiled, unable to stop the pride that swept through him as well as the all consuming fear. His son thought of him as a hero, and that was a lot to live up to. “And that’s all I want to be.” 

Hanni gave a little snort, muttering; “guess it’s not the glasses that are dorky,” as he looked back at the display case. 

“Hey!” Will voice full indignation. 

Hanni stuck his tongue out and ducked as his dad’s went for his curls. He wasn’t fast enough and Will playfully tugged at his hair. 

“Pick a pair, kiddo,” Will told him as he laughed. “So I can drop you off at school.” 

“What?” Hanni grabbed his phone to check the time. “There’s like an hour left and I don’t have track today! Come on, dad!” 

“Dork, hu?” Will raised a brow at the kid, keeping his amusement in check as he watched his son’s eyes narrow in on him. 

“You’re totally the coolest father to ever walk the face of the earth,” Hanni got the words out in a monotone voice and through gritted teeth. 

Will laughed again and at the sight of it, Hanni’s frown started to crack. “I’m cooler than Papa, right?” 

“If you were, you wouldn’t have to ask,” Hanni pointed out, and then couldn’t help adding; “Papa never asks.” 

As payback, Will told him that they their insurance only covered the row of large round frames in light colors that were usually reserved for elderly women. The sales clerk went along and they managed to get the teen to try on two pairs before Will took pity on him. The pictures, he swore, would be deleted. One day. 

***  
A week later when the prescription had been filled and the glasses checked to make sure they sat on the boy’s face evenly, Hannibal was greeted by a very sulky teen when he came home. Having been able to master his features since he was younger than the boy that stood before him had helped stop him from cooing at the sight of his son in dark, thick rimmed glasses. They were more modern than Will’s but otherwise not much different. He looked very much like his daddy but that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Hannibal gave him what he hoped was an age appropriate smile as he nodded with approval. 

“You look very handsome,” Hannibal said, because words like ‘adorable’ and ‘sweet’ would make the teen storm off and hide in his room until it was dinner time. 

“I look stupid,” Hanni muttered, crossing his arms and glaring. 

“On the contrary,” the doctor tapped his glasses, “they make you look very mature.” 

“You’re just saying that,” Hanni said, but his glare turned into a pout as he sought out further reassurance.

“Have you ever heard me say anything without purpose or not to be true?” Hannibal asked with a raised brow.

“No,” Hanni said, but couldn’t help the sly smile that spread across his face. “but you might just be a very talented liar.” 

“If that would be the case, you would have far greater concerns than how you currently look in your glasses,” Hannibal said with a wink as he made his way into the kitchen, where Will was waiting for him with a glass of wine, a brief kiss and a smile.

“Is he still complaining?” Will asked, looking much too amused for Hanni’s liking. 

“I’m not complaining,” their son insisted. 

“Not on bit,” Hannibal said as he pulled the teen’s back against his chest and let his arm hang over the boy’s shoulder. “Have I ever told you how handsome I find your daddy when he has his glasses on?” Hannibal reached out and plucked the pair off the other’s face and slipped them on. “How I love the way they draw you to his eyes?”

Hanni knocked his head back and groaned at the overly loving and down right cheesy expression on his papa’s face as he looked at the younger man. Daddy wasn’t helping either as he flushed under the gaze and reached up to adjust the glasses on Hannibal’s face, letting his fingers linger there. 

“I’m going to go play fetch with the glasses,” Hanni grumbled and slipped away to go get his dogs. 

Hannibal let him go and moved closer into Will’s touch. Teens needed to whine and sulk every once in a while and the fathers preferred it was over glasses rather than curfew and R rated movies. A few weeks and he wouldn’t even remember the hard time he gave them about wearing them. Until then they would show him all the reassurance he needed and a limited amount of patience. 

“So…” Will played with Hannibal’s tie, “is it your turn to play Daddy?” 

Hannibal didn’t have to glance down. He’d sacrifice every tie he had for nothing but the way Will looked at him from under his lashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today was the first day of my fulltime job. Horrible hours and limited access to the net. I'll do my best to keep up.
> 
> Oh, and be nice to debt collectors... not that any would ever call you... just saying.


	5. Secret Stash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will just wants to have a little fun and some chocolate. . . Too bad it's before dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Mads_Enthusiast who wanted a story about Will and Hanni's secret stash that was mentioned (I think, lol been a while) in the first part. 
> 
> I did my very best editing this chapter on my phone. I'm stuck at work til I get a ride (it's been 4 hours and I got about 2 to go) but wanted to get this out today. Self beta, still sorry.

Will Graham let his arms slip around his husband, tightening around the waist. His bearded chin scraped against Hannibal's neck, causing him to shudder. 

It was very slight, but this close, Will could feel it and it made him smile. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. 

"Smells good," he whispered. 

"Would you like a taste?" Hannibal asked, stirring the meat sauce slowly. 

"I wasn't talking about the food."

"Neither was I."

Hannibal felt the rumble in the younger man's chest a moment before he was spun around and pushed back against the counter. Will had been careful enough to avoid the flames but his gentleness stopped there. 

The kiss was hard and almost painful, Will nipping on his lower lip and letting his beard scratch at the more sensitive skin. 

Hannibal pulled away, smiling, and opened his mouth to comment on the bad timing but those words were lost as he caught movement in Will's glasses. 

“Hannibal Lecter," Hannibal said sharply, and didn't miss how Will winced before he could pull away to look at the five year old who was still holding a chocolate cream puff swan in each hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hanni swallowed, the sound carrying across the open space as the boy looked between his fathers. “I wasn't. . . Um. . . It was my idea and daddy had nothing to do with it."

"Is that so?" Hannibal asked, turning to the man at his side and missing his son's insistent nod as the dessert was careful put back on the tray. 

Will avoided the gaze, biting down on the inside of his cheek as he berated himself for their poorly executed mission and his accomplice, who tended to go off script.  
"You were tasked with causing a distraction?”

"Hey, you heard..." Will trailed off with a sigh when he found it hard to pin down how upset the other truly was. He smiled instead, going for charming, "It was a very nice distraction, wasn't it?"

"As far as distractions go," Hannibal said with a serious tone, and curl of the lip. "It could have been better."

"Should have done the magic trick," Hanni whispered in his daddy's direction from a few yards away where he was trying to use the butcher block as a shield, peeking out as he spoke. 

"Next time," Will promised, matching Hanni's mock whisper.

"No," Hannibal said, frown turning slightly more serious. "There will be absolutely no more sneaking around in my kitchen."

“But they look so good,” Hanni whined, looking at the cream puffs that stood just a few inches away from his face. 

“Is that the excuse you’re going with as well?” Hannibal asked, turning to his husband. 

“Some it was simply the thrill.” Will shrugged, defiance and amusement shining in his eyes. “How did you know he was there?”

“That is not important. Dinner Will be ready soon and you two are banned from the kitchen until further notice," Hannibal said as he spun Will around and prompted him out of the room with a swat on the ass before he baconed the boy over with a finger. “Your turn.” 

Hanni shuffled over slowly, a bit worried as he was pulled closer. The swat was only a playful pat, completely different from the one daddy got, and then was lifted high above his father’s head. 

“I’m sure you’re very sorry and will never try to sneak treats from my kitchen again,” Hannibal smiled despite sounding very serious. “Is that right?” 

“Yes, Papa,” Hanni told him, grinning because Papa hadn’t really been upset with them. It didn’t mean he was eager to participate in another one of daddy’s heists. No, he knew better than that. He just knew Papa forgave him because that was what papas were suppose to do when they caught their little boys trying to steal dessert. 

“Good boy.” Hannibal brought him close, giving him a kiss before setting him on the floor. “Make sure Daddy stays out of trouble at least until dinner.” 

“What about after dinner?” Will asked, arms crossed and grinning from his place against the doorway. 

“I will be taking responsibility for your behavior,” Hannibal said with a playful smile that their son was too young to understand and caused Will to blush.

“Almost done?” Will asked, with a head nod towards the stove as he bit into his lower lip, the color fading slowly from his cheeks. 

“Go on,” Hannibal said, turning back to his preparations and only chuckled when the footsteps faded. 

***

“I want chocolate,” Will whispered when they reached the boy’s bedroom. 

“You’re going to be in trouble,” Hanni warned, giving the hallway a nervous look. Papa had really good hearing when it came to semi-naughty words and mischievous plans. 

“I think I remember him saying something about sneaking treats from the kitchen,” Will pointed out, knowing those words would come back to bite him, one way or another, even if they were never caught. "That's not what we're going to be doing."

“Not suppose to get in anymore trouble,” Hanni said, though clearly perplexed. He wanted candy and to help Daddy but he wanted to be a good boy too. “Papa said to watch you.” 

“Who's the Daddy around here?” Will asked, eyebrow raised. 

Hanni pointed up, still worrying his lower lip in a move he either learned or inherited from the man in question. 

“That’s right.” Will smiled, lifting the boy up. “I’m going to need your help.” 

“You will?” The boy’s features continued to waiver, resolve crumbling slowly. He might not always do as he was told, but when presented with a chance to help his fathers, Hanni was quick to accept. 

“Of course,” Will said, already making his way into his own bedroom. “We’re partners, right?” 

Hanni grinned. 

A few moments later he was standing on his daddy’s shoulders, trying to find the secret stash of candies that was kept somewhere behind Papa’s winter apparel. 

“I can’t find it Daddy!” Hanni said, voice rising as he made a mess of the shelf. 

“It’s underneath the red sweater.” 

“Which one?” 

“I don’t know. A dark one,” Will said, tightening the hold on his ankles and lifting him higher. 

Hanni gave a high pitched squeal, followed by a giggle. “Don’t let go Daddy!” 

“I would never,” Will said, before loosening his grip for just a second. 

Another squeal came from the boy, followed by laughter. “Daddy! Don’t do that!” 

“Than hurry up! I’m …. getting …. weaker,” Will groaned dramatically. “How about you hold me up?”

“You’re too big!” 

Will gasped with mock offense. “I'll have you know I'm-”

“-found it,” Hanni cut in, waving a plastic bag of bite-sized treats. More laughter filled the walk-in closet as Hanni was dropped and caught a moment later. “Don’t do that!” 

“Really?” Will asked, looking down at the boy cradled in his arms. "Really really?"

Hanni grinned and shook his head. He loved being thrown around, trusting his fathers to catch him every time and knowing there would always be a safe place to land as long as they were around. 

They sat on the floor of the closet, dividing their bounty. It was no more than a handful of chocolates in a small, plastic sandwich bag. Will had a dozen scattered around the house, moving them around periodically in order to avoid having his contraband confiscated when his husband was in the mists of a cleaning spree. 

It wasn’t that the doctor had forbidden candy in their house, he simply disapproved the ones that came in mass quantities. The house held a fairly good supply of assorted chocolate from around the world, hand-made caramels that could turn a bad day around, and a never ending supply of ice cream that was prepared by Hannibal himself on the weekly basis. 

They were, for a lack of a better word, brilliant and some even worth the amount of money that Hannibal spent on them. 

But some days, nothing beat a Snickers. 

Other days, it was just an excuse to sneak around with his little man and pretend it was the two of them against the world. It was something that was just theirs. 

“I’ll trade you my Twix for your Snickers,” Will said, eyeing his son’s half of the pile. 

Hanni happily agreed, preferring carmel to nuts in his chocolate. “I want your KitKat.” 

“And what are you going to trade for it?” 

Hanni looked at his pile, considering what of his limited supply he was willing to part with. 

A sigh from the doorway made them freeze. They had both just started on their second candy bar, and while Hanni quickly lowered his, Will saw no reason he couldn’t shove the rest into his mouth. 

“You two are set on testing my patience today,” Hannibal said, looking annoyed. 

Hanni lower lip trembled and he quickly turned to Daddy for help. 

“I really wanted chocolate,” Will explained, doing his best not to let the other see just how unapologetic he really was. 

“I hope you had your fill,” Hannibal said, eyeing the little piles of candy next to each one of his guilty boys. “No dessert for either of you.” 

The judgment passed had meant to be light and up for negotiations but Hanni only could think of cream puffs he had been waiting to eat since Papa first let him lick the filling off the spatula. He burst into tears, utterly distraught by the punishment and missed the glare Daddy sent to Papa. 

Hannibal frowned at Will, trying to convey that this could not be blamed on him. He was not the one that broke the rules. 

Will had a frown for him of his very own that promised much more dire consequences if Hannibal didn’t fix the mess he had created. His jaw was tightly set, and the doctor heeded the warning. 

“Let Papa finish,” Hannibal said, his tone as serious as before, “Are you listening?”

Hanni instantly quieted down, and gave a nod, his shoulders still shaking as he wiped his tears away. 

“No dessert unless your dinner is finished.” 

“All of it?” Hanni asked. He was sometimes asked to take a few more bites of dinner before being allowed to have his dessert but never denied it. He was an active kid with a fast metabolism, often hungry, but needing little before feeling full. 

“Every last bite,” Hannibal said, walking over and lifting him up. “Does it sound fair?” 

Hanni laid his head down against his father’s shoulder and nodded. Everything his Papa did was fair and good even when he didn’t like it. One day he would argue about the severity of punishments and try to justify his actions. For now he was still his parents’ little boy and he trusted them to be fair and just in all that they did. 

“Good boy,” Hannibal said, rubbing his back. “Can you start setting the table for me?” 

Hanni nodded again and let himself be set back down on the floor. He looked over at his daddy before pulling on Papa’s shirt to get his attention. “Daddy get’s to have dessert too, right?” 

“Do you think he should?” Hannibal asked with a quirked eyebrow as he looked over at the still seated man, rolling his eyes at them. Hanni nodded and Papa sighed. “Well then I guess as long as he finishes his dinner, Daddy can have dessert too.” 

Hanni grinned, a bit of pride coming out in his smile as he assumed that it was through his intervention that Daddy was being allowed to have dessert. Will smiled back, but it only lasted as long as it took the boy to leave the closet so he could set the table. 

“You think I’m cruel?” Hannibal asked, obviously amused and already aware of the answer. He bent down and gathered the discarded wrapper, half finished candy bar, and what Hanni hadn’t had time to finish. “The things you’ve seen me do and I’m cruel when disciplining our son?” 

“He wasn’t riding his bike in the street or playing doctor with your scalpel. Trying to sneak some candy before dinner is a right of passage,” Will explained, clearly moving from simply annoyed to irritated because of his husband’s smile. 

“I imagine being caught and punished is part of the passage as well,” Hannibal said, holding out his hand. “If not, perhaps in the future you will learn to give your plans more thought in order to avoid detection.” 

“It almost sounds like you’re giving me your blessing to sneak around behind your back,” Will said, sounding suspicious as he handed over his part of the stash. 

Hannibal shrugged. “I’m not easy to fool and must warn you that if caught, you will be severely punished.” 

Will laughed, the irritation quickly melting away, as he let himself be pulled up. He tilted his head up, chewing on his lower lip to keep the smile off his face. “Severely, hu?”

“Very much so.” His voice and features gave nothing away and Will chuckled again. 

“Well then I guess I’ll just have to get creative and make sure we aren’t caught.” 

“I have no doubts that is exactly what will happen,” Hannibal said, capturing his chin and tilting his head back as he leaned in for a kiss. “You are my brilliant boy.”

Will sighed into the kiss, a pleased smile on his face as Hannibal pulled. His eyes fluttered open and he was surprised when the expression the other wore in no way reflected his. Not even a hint of an arrogant smile. “What’s wrong?” 

“Dreadful stuff,” Hannibal explained, the tip of his tongue running over his lower lip. 

“I would help get the taste out of your mouth,” Will purred, winking at the older man, as he rolled his lips. “But I don’t want to spoil your dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) no, I did not spend 4 hours editing this. Most of it was spent on YouTube watching Cherik clips and Kevin Sorbo ruin my memories of Hercules - don't ask.  
> 2) I don't like Snickers.  
> 3) I've been at work for over twelve hours at this point. . . Good chance in losing it.


	6. Marry Papa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will can't marry Hannibal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta-proofed. And very short. Sorry for both. Let me know if you catch some mistakes but hide it among tons of compliments so I'm not hurt.

Hanni Lecter Jr. sniffed the purple flower his papa held up for him and smiled.

“It’s a pretty flower, Papa,” Hanni said, touching the petals very gently. “Are we getting flowers?”

“Perhaps we can take some home,” Hannibal said, smiling at the four year old he held. “Would you like that?”

Hanni nodded, leaning over for another sniff. “They smell very nice.”

“I think so too.” His smile widened. “Let’s see what Daddy thinks of them.” 

“Lilac?” Will’s smile was teasing as he leaned closer to smell the flowers in his fiancé’s hand. “I was sure you would have something flown in from a secluded hilltop that’s days from any civilization and can only be accessed by foot.”

“I think Daddy is mocking me,” Hannibal said in a loud whisper to his son. “Isn’t that very naughty of him?”

Hanni giggled and nodded.

“Daddy would never do that, right?” Will tickled the boy’s side and caused him to laugh out loud as he squirmed. “I think you should tell Papa that Daddy would never do such a naughty thing.”

“Daddy wouldn’t,” Hanni said, unable to get the words out until the tickling stopped. When it did he tried to catch his breath, snuggling up against the man that held him, still smiling.

“The question of the flowers still remains,” Hannibal reminded Will.

“I would marry you in a room full of dandelions,” Will said, the sincerity clear even with the playful tone he used.

“That is less romantic than you think,” Hannibal replied with a teasing smile of his own. “But I shall marry you anyway.”

“You can’t marry Daddy,” Hanni said, frowning up at his father.

“And why not?” Hannibal asked, raising a brow at the little boy.

“You have to me marry me, Papa,” Hanni said, sounding genuinely hurt as well as frustrated.

“You want to marry Papa?” Will tried not to smile as he questioned the boy, not wanting him to be upset any further.

Hanni nodded. “Papa is mine.”

“I will still be yours,” Hannibal explained, putting the flower back so he could cup the boy’s face. “Nothing is going to change that.”

“And you’re going to marry me?”

“Papa can’t marry you, honey,” Will tried to explain gently.

“Why?” His eyes filled with tears and the tip of his nose turned red as it always did when he cried.

“Papa is supposed to marry me.” Will did his best to look devastated. “What about Daddy?”

“No,” Hanni shook his head, tears falling down, completely unsympathetic to his father’s feelings. “Papa is going to marry me.”

The parents couldn’t help but be amused by the tantrum that was unfolding. They both knew that it had nothing to do with sexuality or loving one parent over the other. The boy was growing and piecing together what he knew of the world. At four he couldn’t imagine loving anyone more than he did the two men that had always been there for him, so it was only natural for him to assume it was the same love that his parents had for each other. Marriage, a word he had been hearing a lot lately, was the next natural step.

“And who is going to marry Daddy?” Will asked, raising a hand to run over his boy’s hair but Hanni squirmed away.

“I don’t like you right now,” Hanni stated, burying his face in his papa’s waistcoat.

“That isn’t very nice,” Hannibal said firmly while his touch remained gentle on the boy’s back as he rubbed soothing circles over it.

“Do you want to be the Daddy?”

Hanni turned his head, cheek still pressed against the material, and faced Will. He nodded as his lower lip continued to tremble.

“And whose daddy are you going to be?” Will asked, reaching out and running his knuckles over the wet cheek. This time Hanni didn’t pull away. He only shrugged, unsure of who he could be a daddy to, but knowing he wanted to be a daddy very badly. “You are going to be a daddy one day, but right now you’re a little boy and papas can’t marry little boys.”

“Papas have to marry daddies?” Hanni asked, sniffling as he pulled back a little and looked up at his papa.

“It would seem so in this case,” Hannibal said, in a very grave tone, lips set in a firm line, which meant the older man was very serious. 

“But I love Papa,” Hanni said turning back to Daddy, tears spilling out again.

“That does not need to change.” Hannibal took his son’s chin and pulled it up so they could face each other as he spoke. “But the matter still stands. I am Papa and you’re my little boy, and nothing can be done about that. I love you very much and that too will never change, no matter who I marry.”

Will gave a small, playful snort as Hanni thought about what was said.

“When I’m not a little boy, you can marry me, right Papa?”

“When you’re no longer my little boy,” Hannibal said, with a nod and a gentle smile because the idea of it pulled at his heart. He knew there would never be a time where he thought of his son as anything but the little boy who liked to sit on his lap as he was being read to. He had also thought he would never be able to think of the child as anything but the giggling, chubby cheeked baby, amused by the sounds Papa made when he clicked his tongue. It was with bittersweet excitement that he waited to see what came next. 

“Okay,” Hanni said, obviously unhappy but satisfied that one day Papa would marry him. “Will I be a little boy when I’m five?”

“Yes,” Hannibal said, kissing his head. “And when you’re six.”

Hanni made a very displeased grumble but otherwise remained quiet.

“It’s okay,” Will said, ruffling the boy’s hair. “I’ll take very good care of Papa until he can marry you.”

Hanni nodded and when Daddy reached for him, he didn’t hesitate. Will rubbed his back and kissed his head, rocking him until the boy drifted off.

“I think you’re his first heart break,” Will whispered as they made their way to the car.

“He is his daddy’s boy,” Hannibal said softly, shoulder brushing against the younger man. “He wants to be like you when he grows up.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Will muttered as put the sleeping child into the car seat. Hannibal stood by the opened car door and closed it when the other moved away.

“I would be very pleased if our son turned out to be like you.”

“You know that statement extends to things I enjoy and isn’t limited to my charming personality,” Will said with a bite to his voice and a raised eyebrow.

“There are worse things in life than flannel and the smell of motor oil.”

“Like what?” Will asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the car.

“At the moment, they escape me,” Hannibal said, a smile spreading that took years off his face.

Will shook his head, hiding how much he wanted to kiss the other man at the moment behind amusement. “And here we are, picking flowers for our wedding.”

“Yes,” Hannibal nodded, leaning in close, running his fingers through the curls as his smile softened. “Here we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The timing is a bit off in this chapter (Hanni is supposed to be a bit older) but I'm not losing sleep over it.


	7. Tutu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes a moment for Will to come to terms with his son wearing a tutu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, sorry. 
> 
> Everyone missed Tiny!Hanni so here you go.

“You’re doing it wrong!” The little girl in a pink ballerina dress frowned at the three year old Hanni Lecter. “You have to make a pizza!” 

“Emma, that isn’t how speak to others,” her mom admonished gently, clearly embarrassed as she turned to the man beside her. “She’s had one lesson and now wears that thing everywhere, trying to teach everyone that makes a comment on her dress.”

“She is doing a wonderful job,” Hannibal insisted, as he continued to watch the children. 

Emma couldn’t have been more than five but spoke with superior authority as she instructed the little boy. Hanni stood on his toes, trying to balance as well as his new friend but found himself tipping over every time he got into position. He didn’t notice Papa reaching out to steady him whenever he shifted, completely enthralled by the sparkly pink tutu. 

They had been waiting for their turn to see the doctor for the toddler’s checkup when the little girl stole all of his attention. He came right over and told her just how pretty her dress was and she insisted on teaching him how to dance much to the amusement of all the other parents.

“Most men wouldn’t be encouraging their sons to do ballet,” Emma’s mom commented when she noticed how fondly he smiled at the kids. “It’s a shame how fragile masculinity has become.” 

“It is only shameful how some have come to perceive it,” Hannibal replied, watching his son pretend to reach for a star. “It is neither harmful nor fragile, people on the other hand tend to be.” 

“Papa,” Hanni pulled on his hand. “Dance, okay?” 

“You’re going to have to teach me how,” Hannibal said, removing his jacket as he stood up, towering over the children. 

“I know how to,” Emma quickly insisted, excited to have a new student. “Watch me!” 

Hannibal barely had enough time to get his feet in the right position before the nurse, called his son’s name, covering her smile with the clipboard. “Or do you need a moment.” 

“I fear it would take longer than a moment before I could master it,” He winked at the little girl as he retrieved his jacket. “Even with such a brilliant instructor.” 

Hanni took Emma’s hand as he followed after his father, and was visibly upset that she wasn’t allowed past the office door. 

“Hanni stay too,” the boy insisted, backing away and tightening his hold on his new friend. 

“It would be very rude to make the doctor wait,” Hannibal insisted, holding out his hand.

The little boy pouted but let go of the girl’s hand and took his father’s instead. “Come back?” 

“We’ll be back, yes,” Hannibal confirmed, knowing that the girl and her mother would in all likelihood no longer be in waiting room when they returned. He had stopped trying to pass out his card to make play dates for his son after a few mothers assumed that the lack of a ring meant he was a single father trying to make a love connection while the children played. He lifted his son up. “Do you think you owe this young lady a thank you?” 

Hanni nodded. “Thank you” he whispered, burying his face against his papa’s neck, suddenly shy. 

“Bye!” Emma happily yelled and kept waving until they went through the doors. 

*~**~*

“Bend at the knees,” Will heard his boyfriend’s voice come from the kitchen. His mind processed the words, trying to make sense of them as he opened the door and came to a sudden stop. He had not been prepare for the sight of his son overalls and a purple tutu, holding on to a chair for stability. 

“Daddy!” There was flash of sparkle and Will was forced to push past the surprise to catch the boy before he collided with his legs. He swung him up into the air and let him fall down into his waiting arms. 

He held on tightly only to have the boy laugh and squirm. “Look Daddy!” He pulled on the ends of the skirt and smiled at his father. “It’s so pretty.” 

“It sure is,” Will said, rising a brow at Hannibal. “And why do you have a pretty dress?” 

“It’s not a dress,” Hannibal corrected him as he came closer, running a hand over his son’s hair. “Tell your daddy why you have a tutu.” 

Hanni’s grin only widened, his chest puffing up. “Hanni was a good boy.” 

“You were?” Will laughed, the appointment having slipped his mind as soon as he had entered the kitchen. “Did you cry?”

Hanni’s head ducked under his chin. 

“He did,” Papa tattled. “But only for a moment. He was very brave.” 

Will kissed Hanni’s head and rubbed his back. “That’s my big boy. I’m so proud of you!” He looked up at the older man while his son squirmed happily at the praise, and lowered his voice. “I’m still not sure how that ends in my son wearing a dress.” 

There was a pointed look but Hannibal didn’t bother correcting him a second time. “A young ballerina caught his attention while we were waiting to see the doctor, and when it came for his bravery to be rewarded this was all he wanted.” 

“Really?” Will looked skeptical. “No stuffed toys? No trains?” 

“No.” Hannibal tried to take the toddler but Hanni only snuggled up closer to Will. “You’re awfully concerned with his choice. Are you worried what people will think of him or of us?”

“As if you don’t know the answer to that,” Will grumbled, losing all the earlier amusement in his voice as he placed the boy on the floor. “Feels like I’m giving ammunition to all those people that say two men can’t raise a child.” 

“And when you say two men,” Hannibal spoke softly as his son pulled on his hand, insisting they show Daddy what he learned. “You mean two gay men.” 

Will followed them to the chair, shrugging. “They’ll see what they want to see and use it against us.” 

“Daddy!” Hanni stomped his foot, his little face scrunched up in fustration. “Watch me!” 

“That wasn’t very nice,” Hannibal said, looking down at the boy. “How are we supposed to ask?” 

“Please?” The kid sounded uncertain and looked up at Papa for confirmation. When he received a nod he turned back to his dad. “Please watch me?” 

“I’m watching,” Will said, encouraging the performance with a smile. 

“Look,” Hanni grinned, moving his feet into position. “Pizza.” 

The three year-old happily performed what he been taught throughout the day, often forgetting what came next and looking at Papa for cues before proceeding. Will cheered loudly and clapped his hands when his son took a bow only a few minutes after starting, obviously proud of himself. 

“You are so good,” Will told the boy, kneeling on the ground beside him. “Must get it from your Papa’s side of the family.”

“I’ve had some training,” Hannibal managed to sound modest behind him but the younger man knew better. 

“I’m sure you did,” he chuckled, holding Hanni’s hand above his head and helping him spin around. The boy tried to stand on his toes but quickly forgot and just kept spinning until his father grabbed him around the middle and started to tickle him.

When he was set down, he returned to spinning around, laughing whenever he saw the sparkles on his tutu reflect the light. 

“I must sound paranoid,” Will admitted, watching him with fondness now instead of concern. “It’s a kneejerk reaction.” 

“I imagine this would have been unacceptable when you grew up.” 

“That’s an understatement,” he snorted, glancing up and eyeing the man in front of him, the colors of his waist coat, the way it complimented the crimson of his tie, the hair perfectly styled hair and manicured nails. His accent would only be an afterthought to the way that he spoke. “They wouldn’t know what to make of you or what hit them when they tried to hook you up to the back of one of their trucks. I’m almost sorry I won’t ever see it.” 

“What would you have done?” Hannibal asked. 

“Run the other way probably,” Will shrugged, with no trace of self-deprecation. “Doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t have looked at me twice.”

“And if I did, I imagine my advances would not be welcome.” 

“Then I guess it’s a good thing we met under the circumstances that we did,” Will said softly as he watched the boy sit down and start to pick the glitter off his skirt. 

He was still worried that other children would tease his son when he decided to wear it in public and he was still concerned that people who did not understand love was not a choice would think that this was somehow the result of some agenda. There would always be something for him and Hannibal to worry about but nothing in the world could make him stop his son from twirling around as long as he kept smiling like he did. 

Will kneeled on the floor besides the toddler. “Hanni? Think you can teach Daddy to dance?” 

“Try to avoid his toes,” Hannibal softly mumbled and stiffened a smile when he received a glare in response.

Will brought him close, squeezing the boy hard before letting him go. “All right, what does Daddy have to do?” 

“Tutu for Daddy?” Hanni asked, pulling on the tulle mesh to show his father what he was talking about, before throwing his head back to look at his Papa since he was the one that got him his pretty tutu. 

“Maybe if Daddy is a good boy.” He was no longer able to hold back the smile. “Shall we show Daddy how we dance?” 

Hanni nodded and dragged Daddy by the hand over to where his chair stood, only a few steps away. He called for Papa when he realized that he needed help remembering the moves, but once Hannibal showed him the positions he promptly, passed the knowledge over to Will. 

Daddy turned out to have some of his owns moves. He grabbed the boy spun around until he was dizzy and his ears were ringing from his son’s shrieks of laughter.  
Hannibal doubted there would be any dance lessons outside of their house but could see the tutu being as much a part of his son’s wardrobe as the capes had started to be. The tutu did not appeal to his taste any more than it did to Will’s but it didn’t matter. Those that had an issue with it would find themselves facing off against two very angry fathers. 

“Papa’s turn,” Hanni insisted once his dizzy father put him down. 

“Shall we?” Will asked, and Hannibal swooped in to steady him. 

“It has been too long since we danced,” he said softly, arms tightening and much to the displeasure of the three year old, kept a slow pace as he lead the way around the kitchen. “And I don’t recall you ever asking before.” 

“We could change that.” Will leaned in closer. “We should change that.” 

Hanni pouted, realizing that they weren’t going to spin around and decided that Papa’s turn was over. He wanted to dance with them too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](http://tinypic.com?ref=5np2bn) Made by Marty and had to be shared. She also helped me post it. I was so lost.
> 
> The puppy was fostered by Will until they found him a good home, but until then, they were dance partners.


	8. Closet Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a monster in Hanni's closet and since Papa's logic isn't working, Daddy is going to have to get creative.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no beta and a love for run on sentences. Sorry.

It wasn’t too late in the night when Will heard the dog’s nails against their wooden floor but it was still strange. After his last walk of the night, Winston never moved from the foot of their son’s bed. Hannibal must have heard him as well since he lowered his book and raised his head from the other’s lap. 

Hanni shuffled in slowly, stuffed toy clenched in one hand, and dragging the blanket in the other. Winston followed close behind, collapsing with a huff in the doorway. 

“Papa!” The boy seemed relieved as he dropped his blanket and ran over, climbing on top of his father.

“What’s wrong?” Will asked as Hannibal did his best to hold back a groan after taking a knee to his midsection. “Did you have a bad dream?”

The four year old shook his head and curled into his papa’s side. “There’s a monster in my closet.” 

“In your closet? Tell him to get back under your-” Will bit his lip at the glare he received from Hannibal, who sat up, settling the boy on his lap. 

“There is nothing to fear,” he said softly, arm tightening around the boy. “What makes you think otherwise?” 

“The monster,” Hanni told him again, trying to melt into his father’s chest. “Can I sleep with you?” 

“How would a monster get past Winston?” Will asked with a nod towards the dog. Hearing his name made Winston’s head snap up and a whistle made him come running over to get his head scratched. “You know he wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” 

“He wants to eat Winston too,” the boy insisted, tears filling his eyes. “Can he sleep with us?” 

“There’s no monster in your room.” Will rose with a sigh. “Come on, we’ll go take a look.” 

Hanni shook his head. “I want Papa.” 

Will held up his hands in surrender and sank back in his seat while Hannibal rose, moving their son to his hip. He handed the stuffed dog to the boy to hold and grabbed a blanket on the way out, Winston following without any prompting. 

Inside the room, Hannibal turned on the light and led the boy to the closet. Hanni hid behind him as he opened the door and turned on the light inside. 

“Come on,” he beckoned gently as he stepped inside. 

“You scared him off,” Hanni said, hesitatingly stepping inside and looking around. “What if he comes back?” 

“Monsters of this world do not hide in the dark,” Hannibal told him, lifting him up and carrying him back to his bed. He tucked him in and sat beside him. “And if there were any foolish enough to come near my boys it would be the very last thing they would ever do.” 

“Winston too?”

Hannibal glanced over at the dog that had happily settled at his son’s feet. 

“Winston too,” he reassured the child as he bent to kiss his forehead. “It’s time to go to sleep.”

Hanni glance towards the closet, biting his lower lip. “No monsters, right?” 

“None whatsoever. Goodnight, sweet boy.” 

**^V^**

This time it wasn’t the dog’s nails on the wooden floor that gave the boy away. He came running into the room less than an hour after being put back to bed and climbed into Hannibal’s lap, pushing his dad’s feet out of the way. 

“Papa! The monster came back!” 

“Hanni, there was no monster,” Hannibal reminded him. 

“He came back!” The little head burrowed against his papa’s shoulder. “Winston saw him too and barked.” 

Will’s eyes narrowed on Hanni, doing little to hide his amusement. “We didn’t hear any barking.” 

“Well, it was a very little bark,” the boy wouldn’t meet his dad’s gaze. “Because he was scared.” 

“I’m sure it was more than enough to make the monster reconsider our closets.” Will told him, making a move to get up. “How about we get you back to bed-”

“I want papa!” Hanni insisted for the second time that night, clinging to the man in question. 

Will would admit that it stung and the helpless shrug from the older man didn’t help. His son favored his company when he was sick or hurt and his lover’s when was scared. It wasn’t logical considering their occupations but the four year old was too young to understand what his daddy did. All he knew was one’s fuzzy kisses made the pain go away and that monsters stood no chances against the other’s big hands. 

“He was looking at me,” Hanni insisted when he was put back in bed. “I saw his teeth.” 

“The door is closed, Hanni,” Hannibal told him, walking over to the closet. 

“He closed it.” 

Hannibal couldn’t help the small smile. “What a polite monster.” He open the closet door and turned on the lights. “No monster here.” 

“He’s hiding,” Hanni whispered. “Find him Papa.” 

Hannibal glanced at the time and came over with a resigned sigh. “There is nothing for you to fear within these walls. No monsters that will hurt you,” he sat by the boy, straightening the blanket around him. “But there is going to a very unhappy Papa if a certain little boy doesn’t go to sleep.” 

“But...” he squirmed, glancing at the closet door. “What about the monsters?”

“Monsters? Are we now housing more than one?” 

Hanni shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe he’s just really really big.” 

“And where did this monster come from?” 

The boy shrugged again. He heard the stories of monster from multiple reliable sources which happened to be the older siblings of his friends in pre-k. It was understandable that his fathers didn’t understand since neither had an older sibling to warn them. 

“There is nothing to fear,” Hannibal explained once again. “Monsters have no business in closets, especially not in yours. Close your eyes now, it’s time to sleep. Would you like me to rub your back?”  
Hanni nodded and turned over. He relaxed when he felt the big, warm hand over his shirt, knowing no monsters would come while his papa was around. He tried to stay awake but he was tired and between the rubbing and the song, he stood no chance. 

**^V^**

“PAPA!” The scream was more of a whine than true horror and both man groaned. 

It wasn’t so much that they were tired and didn’t want to leave the bed, though they weren’t thrilled about that, it was actually starting to become concerning. 

“Go check in on him,” Will said rolling out of bed. “I need to get a few things from the garage.” 

He was gone before the other man could question him. He took the stairs a few at a time and hissed when his bare feet hit the cold cement floor in his garage. He winced when he had to turn on the lights but he was back inside just a few moments later. 

“But what if the monster takes me away?” Will heard his son say as he entered. He walked past the bed and straight to the toy chest, throwing it open and rummaging around in it in the dim light of the lamp until he found what he was looking for; two foam swords. 

“Turn off the lights,” Will instructed and was please when they complied without question. He turned on the flashlight and pointed it at the closet door. “All right, are you guys ready to do this?” 

“What?” Hanni asked, his voice shaking just a bit. 

“I think Daddy plans to rid us of the monsters once and for all,” Hannibal told him, his smile bleeding into the words as he watched the younger man approach the closet.

Will stopped with his hand on the nob and looked over his shoulder at them. “Well? Are you two just going to watch?” Will handed over the second sword and the flashlight to Hannibal when he was close enough. “Probably best if you keep the light but I expect you to come get me if I get in over my head.” 

“Of course,” Hannibal said with solemn nod. “But I expect you to come back to me.” 

Will could only grin as he leaned in for a kiss. He pulled back, ruffled Hanni’s hair and then steeled himself before taking a deep and charging into the closet. 

Once inside, despite feeling foolish, he began to smack the walls of the closet with his sword. 

“This isn’t your house and you’re not welcome here!” Will shouted into the darkness before throwing himself against the door. It seemed a bit selfish to have all the fun and cracked the door open, wrapping his fingers around the frame as he shook it. “Need a little help he-”

He cut himself off with a slam, removing his fingers just in time. 

Hannibal kneeled by his son and handed over the flashlight. “I need you to stay here and be brave. Can you do that for me?” 

Hanni nodded, and even though he could tell the boy was tense, he was doing to best to imitate the bravery he had seen in his father just moments before. “You have to help Daddy!”

“I will,” Hannibal reassured him as he got up. “No need to be afraid, you have the light and Winston.” 

Getting into the closet was a bit of a struggle. It seemed Will was committed to making the experience as real as possible. He managed to pry it open just wide enough to slide in his shoulder, going in sword first, only to be yanked in the rest of the way and slammed against the door once inside.

“It seems I caught myself a monster,” Will laughed into their kiss. “Do I get wishes?” 

“Monsters don’t grant wishes.” Hannibal spun him around and pinned him to the door with another thud, Will giving it an extra kick for good measure. 

“That can’t be right.” Will pushed him back and kicked what he hoped was a shoe. “I’m in a closet, in the middle of the night, fighting my son’s nightmare. Who wouldn’t want this?”  
Hannibal surprised him by kicking the shoe back and the warrior cry that followed. 

“He’s getting away,” Will screamed through his laughter. “Get him!” 

With a final thud, breathless, they opened the closet door, Will slipping the humane mouse trap into Hannibal’s hand as they walked out.

“Papa caught the monster.” Will breathlessly collapsed next to his son, pulling the boy into his lap and taking the flashlight from him so he could shine it on the boxer briefs clad warrior.

“It was just a baby.” Hannibal winced when the light hit his eyes and held up the trap. “He must have gotten lost. Poor thing was just scared.”

“He’s in there?” Hanni asked, and his papa smiled proudly at the skepticism. He reached out and jumped when the trap seemingly jerked on its own. “Did he lose his daddy and papa?” 

“I’m not sure,” Will said, snaking an arm around the boy’s middle and resting his chin over his shoulder. “Think we should let him go in the backyard?” 

“Yeah,” Hanni nodded. “But tell him not to come back, all right?” 

“Oh, Papa made sure he knew how naughty it was keeping you up,” Will chuckled as he rose, taking the boy with him. “Bet he’s going to tell all his buddies that this is not the place to hang out.” 

“Your daddy’s work with the sword was what sealed the deal,” Hannibal told him, standing by Will as he tucked Hanni in once again. “He was so brave.” 

“Want to keep the flashlight?” Will asked, setting it on the nightstand. 

Hanni nodded, more excited at being allowed to keep one of his daddy’s tools in his room than an aid for any future monster encounters. After all, no monster would be foolish enough to come back. “Can I say bye to the monster?”

Hannibal held out the trap and the boy gave it a tired wave. “Good night, monster.” 

**^v^** 

“You don’t have to say it,” Will softly said as they walked down the stairs, a silent agreement between the two to play this out to the very end. “I know you don’t approve of lying to him but he’s too young to understand the difference between the kinds of monsters that there are in the world and I just …” he shrugged as he looked over at the other man. “I can protect him from these monsters.” 

“You do more than that. He was the reason for your return to the field.” Hannibal handed over the mouse trap. “You caught the monster that was keeping him awake. There was no lie.”  
Will snorted as they step outside and hissed. It might have been the start of spring but the night air was cold. 

Hannibal chuckled and wrapped his arms around Will. “It was very kind of you to share the stage. You could have been his hero all on your own.” 

“Heroes don’t do it for the glory.” He shifted, trying to warm his feet. “Think we’ve been out here long enough.” 

“But it’s such a beautiful night.” Hannibal nipped at his earlobe, hiding his smile. “I could push you on the swing.” 

“Save it for a warmer night,” Will laughed, shrugging out of the hold and pulling Hannibal behind him. “Come on, let’s go to bed.” 

“Eager, aren’t we?” 

Will stifled further laughter. He couldn’t wait to press his cold feet against the only guaranteed warm parts of his lover’s body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A gif from Imgur inspired this. 
> 
> Thank you for your continued support through my writer's block. 
> 
> I'm rewarding myself with a cookie.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to thank you all for your constant support, the kudos and especially the comments. You guys made moving to the middle of nowhere bearable, and actually fun. Thanks!


End file.
